1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pin type coin dispensing apparatus used in a coin changer, game machine or the like for dispensing desired quantities of coins or tokens one at a time from a hopper storing them in bulk by means of a rotary disc having a plurality of coin feeding pins.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, such a coin dispensing apparatus is well known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4589433 and comprises, as shown in FIG. 10, a hopper 1 for storing coins to be dispensed in bulk and a rotary disc 2 disposed in the hopper 1 and rotatably supported on an inclined support plate 3 by means of a bearing (not shown) to be rotated about a rotating shaft 4 at an angle to the horizontal within the hopper 1. The rotary disc has at its central portion a central shelf 5 of a diameter depending on a diameter of a coin to be dispensed and at its peripheral portion 2-1 a plurality of coin feeding projections or pins 6 spaced in the peripheral direction to define coin receiving spaces on an inclined surface of the rotary disc 2 between sequential feeding pins 6. When the rotary disc 2 is rotated, each coin feeding pin 6 picks up a coin into the respective coin receiving space from a gutter (not shown) formed between lower portions 1a and 2a of the hopper 1 and the rotary disc 2 and delivers the coin to the upper delivery zone 2-2. At this upper delivery zone, each coin is pushed into a discharge chute along a delivery guide 7 by the respective coin feeding pin 6, the delivery guide 7 is extended in a direction tangential to the upper periphery of the central shelf 5 and traverses the peripheral portion 2-1 of the rotary disc 2.
Such a conventional coin dispensing apparatus has a problem that coins can not be discharged from the hopper in spite of a number of coins to be dispensed being stored in the hopper especially when large coins having a large diameter and thickness such as one dollar coins having a diameter of 38 mm or five dollar coins having a diameter of 45 mm are stored in the hopper, since at least three stacks of coins (A) are formed at the lower end on the surface of inclined bottom 1b of the hopper 1 in such a ballanced or stable condition as shown in FIG. 10 so that each coin A in the stacks contacts at its peripheral edge with the surface of the rotary disc 2 and slips on the surface or rotates about a vertical axis of the stack when the rotary disc is rotated and consequently coins in the hopper can not slip down into the gutter.